In a situation completely opposite to the Chargers fiasco, that was certainly worth staying up until 5:30am for. All the worry and dread pre-match quickly became delight and eventually more worry and dread as Peyton Manning started to lead a comeback, but the Colts held on for a vital win.

Whilst the Colts enjoyed a productive game across the field, the impact of their rookies is still to be felt.

Bjoern Werner

Werner was once again inactive, with his foot injury keeping him out of action yet again against the Denver Broncos. With the bye week now upon us, the hope is that Werner will make a full recovery and make it back to face the Houston Texans in Week 9. Whilst Erik Walden has actually made a couple of big plays recently, it's still imperative to get the German on the field in order to maintain his development in the NFL.

Hugh Thornton

Thornton bounced back from a bad showing against the Chargers with a decent display against the Broncos. Thornton posted a +0.7 grade on Pro Football Focus, which, whilst it isn't an outlandish grade, it is solid for a third round rookie thrust in at left guard. Much of this grade was a result of his +1.1 grade in run blocking, but the former Illinois man continues to have struggles in pass protection, where he has posted just one positive grade all season.

Khaled Holmes

Holmes was inactive against the Broncos, with no official line from the team as to why. Holmes may have to take some snaps once healthy, with Samson Satele again struggling with injury against Denver. As a result, Mike McGlynn moved to center and Joe Reitz moved to right guard. Holmes may be used as a sixth offensive lineman if Satele continues to struggle with injuries, or even forced into a starting role if our offensive line becomes even more decimated.

Montori Hughes

Still missing. I'm gonna put up posters around Indiana soon, or put his face on the side of milk cartons.

The Rest

Offensive tackle Xavier Nixon was inactive against the Broncos, but tight end Jack Doyle saw a season-high 11 snaps on Sunday night, posting a +0.1 grade on PFF.

Da'Rick Rogers may be making an appearance on this in future weeks, with a spot available on the roster to replace the injured Reggie Wayne. I really liked Da'Rick coming out of Tennessee Tech, ranking him as the 71st best player available in the 2013 Draft. He had plenty of talent, but also plenty of off field concerns. I think he has a chance to stick on the roster, providing he shows an improved level of maturity.

Something that has caught my attention this week is the outcry for a trade to replace Wayne. With a limited amount of ammunition available, it got me thinking about where those picks had gone.

With none of those players really contributing this season, it's a poor return so far. Can the Colts afford to give up more picks at this stage? Next year's Rookie Watch may be fairly pointless if they do…